Experimental and animal studies have shown crystal-induced oxidative stress and tubular injury in kidney cells. However, there is little evidence of oxidative imbalance in pediatric nephrolithiasis. We aimed to investigate whether oxidative stress is present in children with stones (RS) compared to healthy controls (HC) by measuring urinary proteins involved in this process.

Of the 1813 proteins identified, 230 met the above criteria, with 163 proteins up-regulated in the RS group and 67 up-regulated in HC. Five proteins involved in oxidative stress were over-represented in stone children. Of those, NADPH-oxidase, a major source of reactive oxygen species, was only found in the RS group, while glutathione S-transferase A2, an important antioxidant enzyme, was more abundant in controls (Table).

We provide proteomic evidence of oxidative stress in children with renal stones. We speculate that changes in the oxidant-antioxidant balance may cause tubular dysfunction in these patients. Targeting these proteins may have therapeutic benefits.